Category: English

eBooks and a joy of traveling lite

You can take it from me, that the struggle of urban gypsy is real. If you are not sure what I am talking about, you must have missed ‘Urban Gypsy vs Paperback Loyalist’. Let me tell you one thing, shifting to new rental houses almost every year is hectic especially if you are a bibliophile having a large book collection. And when you love your books and reading so much, traveling to outstation with at least three novels in your luggage makes it very tiresome. This is the reason why I had shifted my focus from physical books to digital ones. Very unique experiences opened up in the form of ebooks.

When you flip pages of eBooks on screen

eBooks have evolved from stiff rigid PDFs to swanky, lively eBooks. There are a number of platforms where you can enjoy your books like Google books, Wattpad. I have tried all of them, however my favourite remains the Kindle by Amazon. Thing which sealed a deal for me is not just the huge book library / catalogue they have, but the experience of reading books on Kindle is amazing.

The only thing about which I have a complaint is, the Kindle device, that sophisticated eBook reader is damn costly. That’s why owning a Kindle Paperwhite still remains my dream today. But, their free Kindle mobile application comes to my rescue. The app is fluid and reader-friendly with choices of choosing background colour and text size for a comfortable reading on screen. Animations in the app give you the feel of turning an actual page. A bibliophile in me feels good because of such small things. As a result, I started buying more of the eBooks than paperbacks.

kindle Unlimited – New avatar of good old library

Hunger and ambition to have my own collection of books and to display them proudly on a beautiful bookshelf turned me away from actively looking out for a library when I moved to Pune back in 2010. It all changed when I stumbled upon something called Kindle Unlimited. It’s a subscription model where you can borrow upto 10 books at a time from their wide ever changing collection. They even have some collections of literature from indian languages added up in kindle unlimited package.

Initially, It was a struggle for me to adjust to the new not owning the book I am reading. I took my time to adapt to these new changes and enjoy the library system again. Now I have eased into this system and my membership gets renewed all the time. Probably, I am turning myself into a Digital Dragon. Digital Dragon who’s Paperback Loyalist deep down in his heart.

This post is a part of the Blogchatter Half Marathon. Read my earlier story here.

August 4, 2021
Urban Gypsy vs Paperback Loyalist – very exciting tussle

In 2010, I shifted to Pune. My aunt’s house was my first abode in Pune. As time passed, my younger brother joined me from Nashik and we took our first rental place. I packed my bags and moved out. A journey of an Urban Gypsy began. It was easy as I mostly owned only study materials and clothes back then. I was struggling to find a library in this new town. It’s not like that Pune has no libraries. However, a new aspiration has taken root in my mind. As I had a place which I can call my own home, I wanted to have my own collection of books too.

As I told you before, I started visiting book stores in Pune. Back in those days, there used to be a huge Crossword on Jangli Maharaj Road. It has become one of my regular spots. Later, I started frequenting the Crosswords in City Pride cinema, Kothrud. I used to do my annual book hauls of Marathi books from the Akshardhara annual exhibition. They hadn’t started their book gallery back then. With these regular visits and annual hauls, I had managed to collect quite a collection.

And then it hit with very heavy weight

It was all going smoothly. My book collection was looking pretty on a bookshelf. I was happily enjoying reading those lovely paperbacks while sitting on the terrace or by the window. Everything was going merely. But destiny had some other ideas. Wait… no, the homeowner had some other ideas. Destiny was too busy toying with other mortals. I had to shift again to another house.

Soon the bags were packed again. My good, that was the moment when I realised literature is a heavy thing. Stack of books was the heaviest from the cargo to be shifted. But now there was no way to complain. We shifted to the new place and the books were settled in their own corner again. New members of their clan kept coming and joining them. Some of them carried more weight with their snobbish hard-covers with shiny dust jackets. For some time, these snobs tempted me but I remained loyal to my lovely paperbacks. But these merry times didn’t last forever either. Soon it was time to put on that gypsy hat and move out to look out for a new place to call home.

Adopting to urban gypsy ways

In this journey of I have shifted 9 places in the last 10 years since I shifted to Pune. Meantime, my own book collection kept increasing and reached over 300 books. I am a very proud owner of those lovelies. However, when it comes to shifting, I always feel the weight of them crushing me. There’s another point I would like to highlight about this shifting problem. And I am sure all the bibliophiles will agree with me. Not always you will get a good bookshelf. It hurts to see the books stacked and stashed away in some corner of the house. You have to dig deep to get the book you want to read. It hurts. And this has brought me to a very very difficult crossroads. “To be or not to be, that’s the question”. Title of the ‘Paperback Loyalist’ (PL) is at stake.

A couple of years ago, I stumbled upon the ease and convenience of ebooks by chance. Free subscription to Kindle Unlimited was that sinful apple. The timing of that membership was so perfect as if it was planned deliberately by the enemies of Paperback Loyalists. I was traveling and those ebooks allowed me to travel light. Thoughts about easy shifting, not worrying about more and more space to shelve my precious collection started corrupting my PL mind. And today, when I am still settling in after my recent shift, I feel almost ready to relinquish my title of being Paperback Loyalist.

Even though I will never part with my books, sadly I can not bring more of those lovelies home. My heart always aches when I see a bookshop. Now I avoid visiting my favorite shops and stick to my mobile phone to do my book hauls digitally. The only solace in this tough choice is, they can’t take my title of “Bibliophile” when they revoke the other one. With a heavy heart, I bid goodbye to “Paperback Loyalist”. At the end, scores are, Urban Gypsy – 1 vs 0 – Paperback Loyalist

This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon. Read my earlier story here.

August 3, 2021
From Subscriber to Paperback Loyalist

Let me tell you my story of my reading habits. It’s a journey which started in my school days and continues till today. I wrote about my love for books and how it all started in a blog post “B for Books” in the 2017 edition of A to Z Challenge. As I recollect it now, my reading habits have changed over the years. The way I read now is completely different than the way it started. As you might have read, it all started with that one big chunky book, bound in a yellow leather jacket. It was a novel by Ranjeet Desai titled ‘श्रीमान योगी’. Even today, it remains the book closest to my heart. From this book, journey started to become paperback loyalist

A treasure trove called सा. वा. ना.

My hometown is Nashik where I lived with my family till my graduation. Back in those days, I don’t think I had more than 10 books which were mine. At first, I was dependent on the books owned by my grandma. And later, I used to get my supply of books from our local public library, “सार्वजनिक वाचनालय, नाशिक (सा. वा. ना.)” which housed thousands of books from all genres of Marathi Literature. The first ever English book which I read was ‘Wise and Otherwise’ by Sudha Murthy. One of my cousins gifted it to me. And before I knew it, I was sucked into the world of English literature. Back then I had no clue that all those “English classics” do exist. For me, Sudha Murthy, Shashi Tharoor, Chetan Bhagat, Durjoy Dutta were the English writers.

How I became paperback loyalist

As I shifted to Pune, my connection with the library got severed. I started collecting my own copies of books. Crossword stores became my hangout place where I picked all the English books. Akshardhara’s annual exhibition turned out to be my annual pilgrimage to gather gems of Marathi literature. Emergence of e-commerce sites like Flikart and Amazon has been a boon for bibliophiles like me. I am a proud member of Amazon Prime from the times when they only used to sell a few products other than books.

Hardbound books attracted me for some time. I even bought some copies of those fancy hardbounds. Awww, they look so pretty on the shelf. But, I read anywhere and in any posture which you can imagine. That’s when you understand how bulky and heavy these hardbound books are. I soon got over my fascination with hardbounds and embraced lovely colourful paperbacks. In this journey of my love for books today, I have my personal collection of around 300 books with almost three-fourth of them being paperbacks. Does this mean, Am I eligible for the title of “Paperback Loyalist”? Or have I changed into something else now? I will talk about my latest habits in the next one. Until then, happy reading…

This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon

August 1, 2021
Love (Try) Angle – Novel you should definitely ‘try’

One who loves stories, to read, listen or to write, can’t ever refuse their liking to love stories. Even if one puts on a mask of being a snob and rejects young adult love stories labeling them as shallow, indulge in them with a guilty pleasure. Indian English literature saw a new surge in young adult novels in the new millennium. Recently, I came across one of the recent releases of this genre. Love (Try) Angle by Manali Desai. Published in early 2021, Love (Try) Angle is Manali’s latest work.

Story is woven around the lives of Ayesha, Viren, and Abhi. Novel begins when Ayesha lands in Mumbai with her parents and begins the new journey. Viren is her neighbour who shows her the ropes and guides her around the new city. On other hand, Ayesha meets Abhi, her college senior in a very dramatic way where they get off on the wrong foot. Beginning with this, the novel hits all the tick marks of a classic romance recipe from getting off on a wrong foot to finding their bearings till “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”. However, the catch is, she has to choose between her first friend in Mumbai, Viren and her frenemy college senior Abhi. You have to grab your copy to know the choices Ayesha makes.

What I loved:

One thing which I enjoyed the most is a very different way of telling the story of these three guys. Manali has left the regular narrative way of storytelling while writing this one. Love (Try) Angle unfolds in front of us in the form of a journal or diary entries. Each character talks about what happened with their point of view.

“Finding your footing in a new place means getting a chance to explore new sides of your own personality.”

In each new chapter, the narrator of that chapter begins with such one liners describing the gist of the events unfolding in it. These one-liners are very enticing, they simply pull you in the chapter right away.

I am sure you definitely want to ‘try’ this humorous and crisp, young adult novel in which the journey is about trying and exploring, then let it be a place called Mumbai or a feeling called Love.

Blurb

Ayesha has just moved to the’ City of Dreams’ with her parents. She befriends the charming Viren, who helps her find her footing in Mumbai. Though she is slowly adjusting to her new life, what Ayesha is most excited about is pursuing B.A. (Hons.) Political Science from a reputed college. Things don’t go as smoothly as she had thought though. Because Abhi, her senior, seems hell-bent on making her life on the campus difficult from day one. Just when things seem settled, Viren joins the college as an Ad-Hoc lecturer. Is there more to Ayesha’s friendship with Viren, and her frenemity with Abhi? It seems there’s a love triangle blooming around the corner or will it be a Love (Try) Angle? Because Ayesha is not sure if it’s love at all.

About the Author

Manali is a full-time freelance writer and editor cum blogger. Manali runs her blog arusticmind.com on which she shares book reviews, travel experiences, life anecdotes, inspiring human stories, poems, and flash fiction.

My Rating: ★★★★✰

Published on: 6 March 2021

Pages: 145

You can grab your copy from Amazon.

This review is powered by the Blogchatter Book Review Program. If you want to know more book recommendations from me, then don’t forget to follow my social media accounts and check past reviews here.

July 22, 2021
Misters Kuru – Witty and light-hearted read for fun time

In 2010 the duo of Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman brought Sherlock Holmes to the 21st century and the whole world was awestruck with the results. But what if you bring in the very very old characters of Mahabharata to the land which once they ruled over? Not being reborn and remembering their past incarnations but just thrown in the reality of present day Delhi. Are you intrigued by this idea? Then you are at the right place guys. Misters Kuru: Return to the Mahabharata by Trisha Das is the perfect book for you.

Draupadi, Kunti and Amba have been living in Delhi and are well settled in their Kalyug lives. And all of a sudden with a loud bang and a smoke balloon, here come all five of them. Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakul and Sahdevh! Can you imagine the surprise on the faces of these three ladies? What are they doing here on earth leaving their heavenly pleasures behind? What will they do here? Wait, but first, are they just visiting or…?

Why should you read this?

I am sure you are also intrigued by these questions. I was, when I first heard about this book. Trisha took care of all of them when she told us this story. Trisha had made it such a page turner with a wry and witty humour spread throughout the book that you have to struggle to put it down if you have some other commitments. If you have some free time, then I can guarantee you a cover-to-cover read.

Nothing other than the idea of all these heavenly guys trying their luck on modern-day Delhi was needed to convince me to read this one. Author did such a good job in storytelling that I don’t regret my decision at all. In-fact, I am hoping she continues this story in yet another book in the future and gives us an amazing series.

So, to know what they do while they are here? will they manage to live in modern day Delhi? And what happens to them when their visit comes to an end, just grab your copies and some munchings.

Misters Kuru: A Return to Mahabharata

My rating ★★★★✰

Publisher: HarperCollins India

Pages: 340

Published on: 22 April 2021

You can get your copy here.

About Author

Trisha Das is the author of The Mahabharata Re-imagined, The Art of the Television Interview and the internationally acclaimed How to Write a Documentary Script. She has written and directed over forty documentaries in her filmmaking career. Trisha has also won an Indian National Film Award (2005) and was UGA’s ‘International Artist of the year’ (2003).

This review is powered by the Blogchatter Book Review Program. If you want to know more book recommendations from me, then don’t forget to follow my social media accounts and check past reviews here.

July 12, 2021
The Urban Farmer: Sarang Ganoo
Today, I would like to introduce you all to a very old friend of mine, practically the first one in my life. Sarang Ganoo, a master product designer, is a very lively person. He specializes in industrial and strategic designs and is keen to make the products which will last in today’s world of “Use and Throw”. Now he has taken his passion to create something sustainable to a next level and dived into the field of urban farming. Currently he is working as a designer and builder at ‘The Urban Farm.’ I have chatted with him about his views about urban farming and composting specifically for this article. This will definitely take the Clean will Win message a step forward! So, here’s our conversation for you all!

Aditya: What is ‘The Urban Farm’?

Sarang: At The Urban Farm, we want to create tools such as a composting system for your small house kitchens or a range of balcony planter systems which helps you grow edible foods in cities. We want to make farming in urban areas simple for all people.

Aditya: Why composting? And how does it work in rooftop / urban farming?

Sarang: Indian city‘s generate one of the highest levels of organic waste in the entire world. In India Chennai generates the highest organic waste every day. 64% of city waste is organic waste. This problem can be tackled at every home regardless of how big or small and how much space they have. Hence composting. Composting makes your organic waste into an amazing organic soil. 102 home compost system, designed and developed by urban farm is the ideal out-of-the-box companion to start your composting journey.

Once you start composting you will have fertile organic soil at home. Once you start having really good organic soil at home the most general next step is to think about how we can grow food in the soil. And that’s what people do once they start having compost at home. They start thinking maybe I can start growing chilies or tomatoes at home and that’s how the revolution starts. And that is how it is connected to urban farming.

Aditya: What’s so special about 102 Home Compost?

Sarang: Specialty of 102 home compost is that it is the easiest home compost system in the market. How it works is- in a kit you get three fabric bags, 2.5 kg of coconut fiber, a stand and a tray with soil-make powder as an enzyme. To do the composting one needs to put 1 inch of coconut fiber underneath in the bag. After that you put your daily organic waste preferably chopped into less than 1 inch pieces at the end of the day. You spread just a spoonful of soil-make powder on top of the organic waste. Cover this entire thing with 1 inch of coconut fiber again. After layering this you just have to keep layering exactly like this until the bag is full. Once full, keep it aside for 20 days and whoa of your home mountain like soil is ready!
- The Urban Farm team
- Wall of their rooftop farm
- The lush greens of The Urban Farm
- Sarang enjoying his farming
Aditya: I heard that there’s a setup on your roof where you grow green leafy on water? What’s that? And how did you get into it?

Sarang: It’s called Hydroponics. It is a method by which one can use only water and nutrients and micronutrients solution together to grow edible plants. Hydroponics works only with green leafy vegetables. We have done lots of hydroponic farming on our rooftop farm. We realised that it’s a great method to start something easy. However, it is not that suitable to grow large amounts of vegetables very profitably in a climate like India. We even have ample resources such as sunlight and fertile soil available all across the year. Yet, we believe that Hydroponics has a very good potential to be an additional source of income for lots of people living in the cities.

Aditya: Is it the next “in thing” or the need of an hour?

Sarang: Right now people are at home and they have realised the importance of nature around them. Many people have started growing some sort of flower plants as well as some sort of edible plants in their balconies. And I think people are now getting the hang of it. I hope that this trend grows more so that it helps us in making a sustainable future for nutrients and great food available across the city for everyone.

Aditya: ‘The Urban Farm’ is promoting both soil based and water based farming, isn’t it kind of contradictory?

Sarang: Not at all. Each method has its own place in the larger scheme of things. Because of climate change we need to make sure that we have enough good nutrient food preferably without too much GMO available to the larger population. I think methods like hydroponics do help in some ways to achieve that.

Aditya: Tell me one thing which people of our age should change as a step towards sustainable living.

Sarang: One thing people of our age can start doing is start composting their own organic waste at home. Do not expect your city to take away your organic waste. It is you who has generated the waste and you are responsible for making sure that it doesn’t go to the landfills and pollute our environment in the city!

Adi’s Journal
June 2021

This post is part of Blogchatter’s CauseAChatter
June 30, 2021